Mullis: Crossroad communication requires compromise

I grew up talking on a rotary phone, receiving paper mail, and using cursive handwriting for final papers. It was the same communication methods my parents and my grandparents used. My kids grew up with cell phones, email, and the Internet. I communicate in these ways as well, albeit sometimes with a creased brow and some help from my tech-savvy son.

The point is I am fluent in the old ways of communication and the new. Perhaps that’s why I have sympathy for both parties, especially when it comes to my work as a communicator. Everyone wants to know what’s going on and wants to be heard, but the ways we go about that are at a crossroads.

I see it with the newspaper. I see it with organizations. I see it with my own family.

My Greatest Generation grandfather doesn’t own a computer, scorns the cellphone his children bought him, and reads paper newspapers.

My Baby Boomer parents may dip their toes in the social media swirl and carry smartphones, but when it comes to important stuff, they still prefer pen and paper.

My Generation X siblings and I are a hybrid, using the digital ways that makes sense, but slow to embrace the latest and greatest.

My younger Millennial siblings grew up in with a new communication method every few months and are excited to embrace the latest and greatest.

My kids, who are just entering the workforce, aren’t wowed by smartphones any more than I was over the phone in my kitchen, yet need help addressing an envelope.

There is no universal way to get a message to all the above, which creates friction.

The younger folks want the older folks to get with the digital program and stop leaving voicemails because the last thing they want their phone to be is a phone.

The older folks want the younger folks to stick with a digital program and stop asking them to download another app just to communicate a change in plans.

How long do you cater to the traditional? How soon do you pick up the latest craze?

It’s a funny problem and one that will go away. Not because we are going to find a solution, but because the older ways will pass away with the older generations.

I humbly suggest we embrace the strata a little, for it is a fascinating time to be alive.

Communicating these days is a bit like traveling must have been in the early 1900s, when people, horses, and cars shared the same road. Right now we are a hodgepodge of phones, websites, paper, and posts.

If we want to communicate effectively, we have to compromise. Our older generations can reach out in new ways while maintaining what works for them. Our younger generations can make a point to include traditional methods while embracing the latest trend.

The truth is we can’t afford to lose our wisdom-holders or exclude our trail-blazers. The time in which we live may be challenging, but we should treat it like Thanksgiving dinner with a big family. If you make room at the table and keep passing the dishes, everyone will get fed.